Although business owners generally carry insurance to cover the costs involved with recovering from a disaster, there are many other factors of recovery company owners neglect. Arguably the most important aspect of a business successfully recovering after a disaster is planning. In other words, business owners must consider the different types of disasters most likely to occur and take steps to mitigate the damage those disasters could cause. There are several items to consider when creating a disaster recovery plan.

1. Make sure the plan is documented and understood by key personnel.

Everyone in the company needs to be aware a disaster plan is in place and what the key elements of the plan include. Employees playing key roles in the plan must be fully aware of their parts and how they are to proceed in the event an emergency occurs.

2. Identify key business elements to preserve first.

Insurance may cover repairs to a structure, replacement of merchandise or equipment, and provide compensation for some other losses. However, modern businesses are rarely covered for any type of data loss. Since the information stored on company computers is crucial to continuing operations, steps must be taken to preserve all data stored on company computers.

3. Update disaster plans as conditions change.

Businesses are not static. Conditions change from day to day, and disaster plans must be continually updated to reflect changes in business operations. Added production equipment, changes in the number and location of employees, and upgrades in technology must all be integrated into the disaster recovery plans.

As suggested, no contemporary business can survive without its data. To disaster proof your business, protecting data is crucial. Industry statistics indicate the majority of businesses do not even back up critical data, much less more mundane files stored on employee computers. Simply backing up data to remote sites is, without a doubt, the most important action any business can take to mitigate potential losses from a disaster. With the availability of cloud based and other back up services, there is no excuse for any business to lose years of critical business data.

While disasters are common, business owners who take the time to prepare are far less likely to experience business failure after a disaster strikes. Being prepared for any contingency will make it simpler for companies to be up and running sooner, with fewer issues.